Tutorials » All Design
Photoshop Tutorial, Stroking a Path with a Brush For More Fine-Tuned Control
December 21, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I cover a newer feature in Photoshop which allows you to stroke a path with a brush. This allows you to use the precise control of the pen tool to define where you first want your brush before using it. This is very helpful when trying to do a fine motion without a tablet, and I've found invaluable for doing things like feathering selections around individual hairs in a photo, or sticks or branches in trees.
Print Process Tutorial, The Difference Between Spot and Process Colors
December 14, 2012
In this week's tutorial I cover something all designers should know before embarking down the path to print work -- the difference between spot and process colors. This is mainly for color management in Illustrator, but it applies to programs with vector color management like InDesign as well. Here's your chance to learn all about it without a 3 hour college course lecture, or a stern condescending set of remarks from your print house when you send the files over wrong.
Photoshop Tutorial, Using Selection Options to Manage Your Layers In A Complex File
December 07, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I cover an option most people don't use very often: The 'Select Similar Layers' option from the Select menu. This will help you grab similar objects in Photoshop for quickly. When designing a website, this can help speed the process along by giving you more control over your layers. Works great for nudging a bunch of thumbnails, or text objects.
General Design Tip, Scanning Things At An Angle to Avoid Dot Patterns
November 30, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I go over a more analog-tip for when working in design. This applies to when you scan something from a printed magazine, and you start to pick up the dot pattern of the ink. It feels like not many people even scan things anymore, but this little hint is something important to know for any time you do.
Illustrator Tutorial, Tip On Scaling Strokes and Effects Without Changing Your Designs
November 23, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I go over how to scale strokes and effects without losing the original look of the design. Knowing where to quickly set this setting allows you to manipulate your artwork, or prep it to give to someone else while having the confidence it's going to remain intact.
In this week’s tutorial, I go over some reasons why using the corner radius effect in Illustrator ma
November 16, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I go over some reasons why using the corner radius effect in Illustrator makes more sense than doing the corner-radius box from the tool menu. This tip shows you why, and how the versatility comes in handy.
Photoshop Tutorial, A Quick Overview of How To Use Liquify For Warping Adjustments
November 09, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I cover the basics of the liquify filter in Photoshop for making warp-like adjustments to your images. This technique is frequently used to help people digitally lose weight, or to shrink elements without destroying the surrounding image data.
Photoshop Tutorial, The Basics of Puppet Warp and How It Can Be Handy For Minor Fixes
November 02, 2012
In this week's tutorial I cover some of the basics of how to use puppet warp in Photoshop CS5. Puppet Warp is a good tool for bending and warping your raster data with more control than is available with regular warp tools. The addition of using pins to tack down your data can add invaluable control.
Illustrator Tutorial, Doing Opacity Masks (Layer Masks) In Illustrator
October 26, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I cover how to use opacity masks in Illustrator to replicate the functionality of layer masks which you may be used to from Photoshop. Its a simple tip that once you know you'll find it second hand to use. There's also a little story about the perils of using lights to shine on your business signage.
Illustrator Tutorial, Making Up A Color Palette For Your Designs Using A Inspirational Photo
October 19, 2012
In this week's tutorial, I cover how to use a photo which has the 'vibe' you might be looking for in your design to generate a color palette for Illustrator. I've found this simple technique helpful in getting things started when you could be stuck staring at that ever-daunting blank screen. It's quick, and is sure to get the design-juices flowing.